7 Mobile Design Enhancers

Far too often, design is emphasized and well thought out when it comes to user experience on desktops and laptops, but ignored for mobile user experience.

With 85 percent of smartphone users browsing the Internet on their mobile devices, mobile design cannot be overlooked (Adestra).

Following are the top seven ways to enhance your website for mobile devices:

De-Clutter and Clarify

One of the worst things you can do to a homepage is throw as much information you can onto it out of fear that viewers won’t clickthrough your site. When you put everything on the homepage, users get overwhelmed and end up leaving your site sooner. Now imagine what users experience when they see your cluttered homepage on their mobile devices, with even smaller screen sizes. Only use the most important and relevant information.

Keep it Simple

Because of the smaller screen sizes and the limited access on mobile devices, a general rule of thumb is to create only one action item per screen. when this happens, you are keeping the screen clean for your users and the page remains as easy to use as possible.

Avoid Interruptions

If at all possible, avoid having pop-ups and other similar interruptions asking users to rate your app or subscribe to the newsletter. When consumers are reading content and encounter multiple interruptions, they are more likely to stop reading and leave the site all together.

Think about the Tap

Have you ever tried to click a button on your phone, and clicked the wrong one because it was so small and close together? It’s frustrating, and will easily make your audience stop coming back. Make sure the buttons are large enough for users to click, with extra space on each side of the button so they can know they are clicking in the right area.

Touch target sizes should be about 44 x 44 pixels to accommodate all users (Apple).

Position is Everything

When you’re designing a website and apps for mobile use, keep in mind how people are holding the phone. Oftentimes, it’s unlikely consumers will be able to reach the top of the screen with their thumbs when holding the phone with one hand. Keep the most frequently used controls in the green zone – about half of the screen size or lower.

Details Make a Difference

It’s amazing the impact a few subtle animations on a screen can have in each user’s experience on a website via a mobile device. When you take a static page with buttons and add microinteractions such as vibrations when the button is touched and/or sound to the page or for particular actions, a website personality is created and consumers will feel more engaged, enhancing their overall experience.

Remember Readability

It’s easy to fall into a pattern of fitting all text onto the page, knowing that readers can zoom in if they need to. But when you create an experience for users that doesn’t require any extra effort on their part, you’re a lot more likely to keep them on your pages. Increase the font size to keep content legible without zooming in.

Text on mobile devices should be at least 14 px; 12 px should only be used for labels and forms (Get Elastic).

Utilizing these tips for mobile sites and applications will easily enhance your user interface and improve the experience consumers have with your brand. If you need help or have any other questions on web design, HTML email or advertising, let us help you!